Gymnastics

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Australian artistic gymnast Lauren Mitchell does a layout step-out during the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London.

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A gymnast on the pommel horse at a competition.

Gymnastics is a sport which involves doing exercises which need strength, flexibility, balance and control. This may include running, jumping, tumbling, somersaulting, flipping and balancing.

In women's gymnastics, there are four activities: floor, uneven bars, balance beam, and vault. In men's gymnastics, there are six activities: floor exercise, parallel bars, high bar, pommel horse, vault, and rings.

Gymnastics is a Summer Olympic sport. Gymnastics are not just for girls they can also be for boys aswell

History

Gymnastics began as a form of exercise in ancient Greece. It was one of the first sports in the Olympics.

Forms of gymnastics

There are several forms of gymnastics, including rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, trampolining, and wheel gymnastics and no handed gymnastics. In artistic gymnastics, gymnasts perform short routines using different pieces of equipment. Acrobatics involves showing balance and performing flips on the floor or in the air. In trampolining, gymnasts do routines using only the trampoline. Wheel gymnasts exercise in a large wheel called a German wheel.

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In rhythmic gymnastics, gymnasts perform with ribbons, rope, ball, hoop and clubs. Usually, only females do rhythmic gymnastics because they are more flexible than males.

Other websites

Media related to gymnastics at Wikimedia Commons

FM Gymnastics- a list of Techniques and free animated comic tutorials for Floor Gymnastics.

Websites of the federations

Federation Internationale de Gymnastique